Tuesday, February 28, 2017

US Airdate: April 24th-June 26th 2016The Winds Of Winter: We have gotten to the point that the show has surpassed the actual book series and with The Winds Of Winter still unreleased, it could be argued that the show was going to be in something of a pickle. Instead what we got was something of a creative rebirth for the show as well as a rather literal one too.

The rumours of Jon Snow's death were greatly exaggerated and while it took two episodes to get him back into action (and for Melisandre to actually prove herself for once), this was something of a defining season for him. First of all, the much needed reunion between him and Sansa and secondly, getting the hell out of the Wall, once and for all but not before the ones who betrayed him got their just desserts.

Having Jon and Sansa working together this season to take down Ramsay was one of the best decisions ever made. Right now, they've only got each other and seeing them play off each other and go over their past showed just how far both characters have actually come in the space of six season as they went to reclaim Winterfell.

The hype of the season was clearly the Battle Of The Bastards and it's easy to see why. The show certainly knows how to raise it's game during it's penultimate episode and Jon and Ramsay's bloody battle for Winterfell certainly became one of the most ambitious and claustrophobic pieces of television I saw in all of 2016. However, while Jon got Winterfell back, it was really Sansa who saved the day.

Sansa has grown from a rather irritating and impressionable girl from the first season to a hardened and more strategic young woman right now. I liked that it was her who ultimately orchestrated Ramsay's downfall (and much I found him fascinating, there was nowhere else he could've gone in his depravity and terror), as well as being the one who saw the tyrant killed by his own starving hounds. A much deserved death for such a horrific character.

If anything this season really was one for the female characters moreso than ever. Cersei in particular went from grieving her daughter's death to accepting her son's eventual suicide as her long game plan to wipe out most of her enemies came to fruition. Unfortunately that saw the demise of Loras and Margaery but it also heralded the team up of Olenna and Ellaria and while Cersei might be sitting on the throne by the end of this season, she may not get to enjoy it for very long as we headed into the closing chapters of the series.

As for Daenerys, her arc started with being captured by more Dothraki but the writers wisely sped through this storyline as she used fire to cripple their kingdom. More importantly was the growing rapport with herself and Tyrion, absolving Jorah of his past transgressions, ending things with Daario and teaming up with both Theon and Yara towards the end of the season as well as finally getting out of Meereen, once and for all.

Arya had something of an awakening as her time in Braavos came to a rather life and death kind of end. I liked her scenes with the actors as well as her defeat of the Waif and takedown of Walder Frey as well. Now we just need to see her reunited with her siblings next season.

Speaking of siblings, Bran came back this season and the best thing about this was the exploration into Hodor's backstory (and easily the best episode after the final two), which more than delivered while Benjen also reappeared for a bit. Rickon on the other hand fared less well this season, adding to the fallen Starks by the end of the season.

While this season was mostly on fire, there were a few missteps here and there. Most of Sam and Gilly's scenes were fairly dull (let's never see the former's family again) and Jaime was predominantly relegated to scenes with the Freys and Edmure. On the plus side, he did get some lovely moments with Brienne and didn't seem too pleased with his sister's coronation but other than that, this season could've used him a little better. There was also a fun but shortlived guest appearance for Ian McShane and I wish more had been done with the Hound, but there's always next season for that I guess.DVD EXTRAS
The usual we've expected from the series. Commentaries for nearly every episode from various cast and crew members. Other features including Recreating The Dothraki World, an in depth look at the Battle Of The Bastards fight sequence, as well as deleted scenes and a Histories And Lore feature, giving us a rundown of various histories of the families seen and mentioned in the series.

Saturday, February 25, 2017

The first time you meet him, he's funny. The second time, he's amazing. The third time you realise he's the most dangerous man in the universe.
With exactly seven weeks to go until the arrival of Peter Capaldi's final series of Doctor Who, the BBC are starting to up the promotion by giving us this rather glorious trailer.

Narrated by new companion Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), the thirty second trailer has the cafeteria worker along with the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) defiantly strolling through a library as Bill talks of the dangers and excitement of travelling with the Doctor, while an image of several monsters appears towards the end of the trailer.

The monsters in question include the usual suspects such as a Dalek, Cyberman, Weeping Angel but there's also some new ones there such as the Emojibot, the Truth monsters and a female Ice Warrior in the mix too. I have to admit that seeing this trailer brought a smile to my face as it's been a while since we've had a concept trailer to promote the upcoming series. It captured the tone right and gave me confidence in that Bill and Nardole are going to make for an interesting team up with the Twelfth Doctor in his final year.

In slightly less great news (or maybe it's great, depending on your point of view), it seems that after weeks of speculation, it's been as good as confirmed that spin-off series, Class will not be coming back for a second series. Printed in the Mirror during the week, the show's lacklustre ratings on BBC1 may have spelled the show's doom and there's still the fact that is has yet to air on BBCAmerica. Personally, I'm not really broken up by this news to be honest. The show was okay enough but it didn't really add much to the Doctor Who universe as a whole and the promotion was so horribly mishandled that I'm not surprised either.

Annalise (re Wes): "That's a lie. He wasn't just a stranger. He, he was, he felt, he felt, he felt like my son."

Remember people, Annalise said that Wes felt like her son, not that he actually was her son, so all the stuff that happened with Rose in the second half of Season 2 still counts for everyone. However one thing did change in relation to Wes's parentage - Walllace wasn't his father.

Instead and thanks to a rather heated lunch between Annalise and Sylvia, the episode revealed that Charles is Wes's father. I have to admit, I'm struggling with this one a little. How old exactly was Charles when him and Rose got involved with each other and does he know that he's Wes's father? Sylvia certainly knew and Annalise seemed pretty floored when she found as did the rest of the gang.

Speaking of the gang, Laurel went into vigilante mode and used both Asher and Michaela in an attempt to try and bring Charles to justice for Wes's murder. While I like that Laurel is out for blood, she's also barking up the wrong tree as it turned out that Wes ended up being killed by family friend Dominic at the behest of her father, which the episode revealed at the last minute.

In some respects, it's pretty unsatisfying to have a random character drop in and be Wes's killer but seeing as it's also going to lead to a bigger storyline for Laurel and delving more into her murky family, this could be an interesting direction for the fourth season. I do wonder though after this episode if it really is the last time we really will see Wes again.

Speaking of Wes, it seems that his death also provided a way of resolving the thorny issue of both Annalise and Frank's impending trials by having him pinned for every crime committed in the last three seasons and giving Denver some kind of win, which in turn also saved Connor for being pinned for Wes's death as well.

However I can see why this would rub viewers up the wrong and even I was a little upset to see Wes blamed for crimes he wasn't responsible for (Rebecca's death for example) but I guess it's better than repeated trial scenes next season with Denvers trying to get Annalise sent down for an innocent man's death though.

- Oliver proposed to Connor which certainly made me shipper heart squee a little.
- I wonder if Annalise will keep going to that group session next season. Also will characters like Meggy, Hargrove and Simon also return?
- This was the first one word episode title we've ever gotten for the show and it felt appropriate, especially if this is the last time we actually see Wes on the show.
- Chronology: From where He Made A Terrible Mistake left off.

Wes was a strong finale to end this rather interesting season on and it certainly set up plenty for next season to delve into but was it the best way to finish up the character's three year arc? That's debatable but either way, this was an excellent if not perfect finale.

Friday, February 24, 2017

Connor: "All your sons are dead. They're all dead and you can't use me to replace them."
Annalise: "Look me in the eye right here. You said you didn't hurt Wes, so I believe you but I need you to believe me too."

For the two part finale (and like with the first season one), I am watching and seperately reviewing the episodes. The review for the second one will be up tomorrow and after the ending for this one, perhaps the breather is a good thing. This was something else altogether.

I had no doubts whatsoever that Connor would be innocent. I mean, he's not always the most likeable of people but he's not a killer and the flashbacks showed that he tried and failed to save Wes before fleeing the house and even had contemplated suicide afterwards.

The gang's reactions to learning that Connor was there were predictable but not in a bad way. I don't blame Laurel and Asher for losing it with Connor in the same way I don't blame Oliver and Michaela for siding with him as well. I also adored the scene between Connor and Annalise where both of them gave the other some stunning home truths. An absolutely incredible scene between Jack Falahee and Viola Davis.

Of course while Connor's innocence was proved in the episode, Denvers guilt also came around the same time Connor tried to bag an immunity deal. I suppose it makes sense to have Denvers play a larger role in the attempt of taking Annalise down. It was also interesting that Connor became privy to this at the most crucial moment for him while Annalise and Bonnie also pieced things together when Nate wasn't filling in more blanks.

Speaking of Annalise, this week we had Laurel testifying for her, only for Denvers to use her past kidnapping against her. Because I'm already privy for what's going to happen in the second part of this episode, I know that there's more of Laurel's shaky family backstory to come and I'm definitely intrigued by that mysterious stranger who watched Connor leave the house before it blew up the night before.

Not to mention that this part also laid it on fairly thick with the Mahoneys. Charles got released from prison and Sylvia seemed determined to find out who murdered her husband as well from last season. Basically that's another problem along with clearing Annalise's name for the gang to fix as we head into the finale for real.

- The Connor flashbacks were always going to up my enjoyment for this episode, including a more graphic scene with him and Thomas as well.
- The therapy scene with Annalise cutting from Connor's near suicide attempt worked brilliantly. I also liked Frank in the courtroom scenes.
- Annalise got a new look for this episode as well.
- Chronology: Not long from where It's War left off.

A strong start to the finale. He Made A Terrible Mistake really could've been about Wes but it was also about Connor and having him come forward and try to amend for some of his behaviour this season as well. I definitely can't wait to see how this all ends now.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Well, that was an interesting and obvious spin on things, weren't it? It's not particularly original to gender swap characters these days but having Sara take on the Lancelot role while Stargirl assumed the Merlin one still added to the episode nonetheless.

This week, the gang ended up in Camelot but only after poor Doctor Midnite died in the year 3000 courtesy of Rip's mission to acquire more bits from the Spear of Destiny. With the other bit stuck in a certain time period, it was time for Amaya to reunite with her former teammate and also clash as the pair of them couldn't quite agree on how to handle Rip's invading force at the castle.

It was nice to see Amaya reunited with another member of her former team and I do think both her and Stargirl raised some fair points before eventually banding together to help save the day. I wasn't however remotely surprised that Stargirl also had feelings for Arthur, who as a character got pretty much the short straw in this episode.

Yup, Arthur was reduced to being a pawn in Rip and Damien's machinations this week with technology that Rip seized from Midnite but his unflattering role in this episode did mean that Mick, Jax and Stein were able to work together in order to break Rip's mind control during the battle scenes towards the final act of the episode.

Seeing those three work together outside of the action was a little more entertaining than the constant sparring between Nate and Ray for most of the episode. I don't know who was more annoying this week - Ray for his desperation to be a hero, which led to him endangering himself several times or Nate's history pedantry kicking into obnoxious levels. If ever there was an episode where both of these characters could've sat out, it probably should've been this one to be honest.

On the other hand, Sara had some interesting moments in this one. She had that wobble moment over whether or not to leave Ray behind but I particularly loved her scenes with Guinevere (who unsurprisingly was far more interesting to watch than brainwashed Arthur) and the shipping moments with the pair of them also worked pretty well.

As for Rip, he continues to be a better villain than expected and it's clear that Arthur Darvill is having a blast with this version of the character. That being said, the first chance to abandon Rip that Damien was given, the latter seized upon and at the end of the episode, Rip had managed to get himself captured by the gang, locked up in the Waverider, threatened by Jax before turning everything to his advantage once again.

- Where were Eobard and Malcolm this week? I'm surprised that they weren't also a part of this grand plan.
- Amaya pulling out the sword in the stone (also parts of the spear) was a pretty bad ass moment.
- Another break next week and then the remaining five episodes to air from March 7th onwards.
- Chronology: 3000 Detroit and Camelot of course.

Camelot/3000 was a fun enough variation on the similarly titled comic series. Not quite as fun as the previous episode (especially with both Ray and Nate testing my patience at times) but still enjoyable and I'm loving the evil side of Rip at the moment too.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

It's a week later and a certain episode of one of the show I'm covering here might have inspired that title.

24 Legacy: In the UK and Ireland, we're a bit behind on this 12 part event series but so far, it's not really that gripping. I mean, it's a bit better than some of the trailers promoted it to be and Corey Hawkins agent Eric Carter is likeable enough but after nine seasons of seeing Jack Bauer being put into some impossible scrapes (one of which is now currently unresolved), it doesn't feel quite as dynamic as it could be. Then again, the show is only starting so it might need a little more time to naturally bed itself in but so far, it's only makes for okay viewing.

Arrow: I think the show really did it this time. How do you solve a problem like not having a Black Canary? Do you admit defeat, revive Laurel and put her back in the suit or do you take her Earth 2 doppelganger and give her a redemptive arc? In this show's case, neither were the desired option so instead a new Canary by the name of Dinah Drake was roped into fill the void, not just left by Laurel but also by Thea and Evelyn too and so far, the character is likeable enough. Also on the likeable front have been the flashbacks involving Talia Al Ghul but the less said about the recent 'guns are bad' episode, the better to be honest.

Santa Clarita Diet: Netflix, there are still shows you've got that I need to catch up with (Luke Cage, I'll see you soon) but having watched the absolutely bonkers promos for this half hour comedy, I just had to watch the first two episodes. The results seem to be a mash up of Weeds, Desperate Housewives, Dexter and Hannibal with realtor/zombie mom, Sheila (Drew Barrymore) getting used to her new diet of human flesh while husband Joel (Timothy Olyphant) is somewhat exasperated by his wife's new eating habits. It's an amusing little series with both Barrymore and Olyphant at their comedic best. There's a decent amount of gore too but generally this is a show that's being played for laugh in it's suburban setting.

Supergirl: Five episodes have aired since the last time I covered this show on my blog and they've been somewhat hit and miss. We've had returns galore - Dominators, Roulette, Livewire, Parasite, Cyborg Superman, Metallo and so on and there's been the forming of Kara/Mon El's relationship as well as the continuing developing of Alex and Maggie's. Of course, we had the blossoming of J'onn and M'Gann but that was cut short while Winn's hooking up with Lyre. Of course the show does need more of the lovely Lena and her evil mother, Lillian but at least Mxyzptlk made for a fun antagonist on Valentine's Day though.

The Flash: When I last watched the show, it seemed that Iris West's days were numbered, courtesy of Savitar. The last few episodes since it's return has focused on a few things (introducing Gypsy, testing Wally's speeding ability, Julian becoming part of the team etc) but the focus has also been on trying to alter Iris's imminent fate too. Speaking of which, there has been an actual lack of Savitar onscreen since Christmas but we've had some decent guest baddies like Plunder though to keep things ticking along for a bit.

- Darren Criss aside from playing Music Meister in the upcoming Supergirl/The Flash crossover episodes will also be playing killer Andrew Cunanan in the Vesrace series of American Crime Story. Edgar Ramirez will play the title role for that particular series.
- Teri Hatcher and Kevin Sorbo will be appearing as a villainous couple in Supergirl soon.
- American Horror Story's seventh season will focus on the US Election.
- Nina Dobrev will reprise her role as Elena Gilbert for the series finale of The Vampire Diaries.
- Once Upon A Time will also be doing a musical episode this season.
- Eva Longoria will be guesting in Empire.
- Chris Colfer is currently developing a sci-fi series.
- E! are doing their own version of 90's movie Jawbreakers as a television series.
- The Big Bang Theory is being lined up for a two season renewal at CBS.
- Outlander's third season will air on Starz from September.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Oh my God, this episode certainly didn't bullshit with that title. There's nothing more glorious than a vengeance stricken Annalise and in this episode alone, it was played to perfection. We've seen her humiliated, disgraced, beaten and falsely accused of murdering Wes. This was the episode where she truly started to fight back.

Atwood's been begging for a comeuppance all season long and this episode hopefully the beginning of a well deserved downfall for the woman. I loved that Annalise went above Renee's head and issued a letter of complaint of Atwood's conduct over the investigation and when that didn't quite take, Annalise took advantage of Oliver's hacking skills and made Atwood's incompetence into a public event.

Granted it was also a stunt that nearly blew up in Annalise's face, only for Frank to step in and save the day. I always do something of a groan when characters decide to represent themselves in courtroom scenes but in Frank's case, it was actually a stroke of genius. Not only was he able to command the room, but he also bought himself and Annalise more time and managed to ensure that Atwood suffered some consequences for her witch hunt of Annalise as well. Basically a good episode for Frank.

It also turned out to be a good episode for Nate too. Not that he did anything too extraordinary but more that he got off with signing over the papers to transfer Wes's body to another morgue while at the same time being ruled out as a suspect too thanks to the flashbacks. Nate's scenes with Annalise in this one were generally a mixed bag though.

Speaking of Annalise, you really could cut the tension between her and the gang with a knife in this one. Michaela tried to be aloof when Annalise was praising her for holding the fort while Asher was quite sympathetic to Annalise's plight. Laurel was more mad at Annalise while at the same time doing her own investigating while at the same time eventually coming around to her mentor.

As for Connor, even I wanted to slap him in this episode. His cynicism went into annoying levels of overdrive but I did like that Asher ended up accusing him of being the anonymous source before the flashbacks revealed something very interesting. Having Connor trying to revive Wes before abandoning him was unexpected but I can't wait to see where it leads to next though.

- Laurel hired a private investigator who revealed that Mahoney's wife had a DNA test done on Wes.
- Annalise figured out pretty quickly that Hargrove had been gotten to by Atwood. Expected but a bit of a shame as I do enjoy their sort of friendship.
- The last two episodes of the season will be aired as a double bill. The show did this before for the first season finale. Oh and it's been renewed for a fourth season.
- Chronology: Not long from where Go Cry Somewhere Else left off.

It's War certainly had a lot of bang to it's buck. Having Annalise back in fighting mode certainly helped and the pre death Wes flashbacks are still exciting week in, week out. With the last two episodes set to resolve this storyline, the killer really could be anyone.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Constantine (to Destiny): "Is that a sword in your chest, or are you just glad to see me?"

And he's back! Following a short lived TV series on NBC, an appearance in a fourth season episode of Arrow and a possible big screen appearance if the DCEU go ahead with their plans for Dark Universe (albeit I assume with a different actor), John Constantine (Matt Ryan) is back and make no mistake, this is very much his movie, though other characters are not short changed here.

It seems that there's been some mystical goings on that even the Justice League themselves cannot seem to solve and so it forces Batman (Jason O'Mara) to look for a magical solution. First he catches up with Zatanna (Camilla Luddington) before Deadman (Nicholas Turturro) hijacks Batman's body to bring a message from Constantine himself.

Having Batman in the middle of mostly a magical group of misfits does work pretty well, especially as he proves that he doesn't need magic to still pose a threat to the series of baddies on offer here. The first one being the rather sexist Felix Faust (Enrico Colantoni) who puts the gang through something of a ringer until Zatanna gets the better of him.

Of course, it's soon revealed that Faust is actually the false baddie of the movie as a desperate and easily swayed Ritchie (Jeremy Davies) whose actions end up summoning the rather deadly Destiny (Alfred Molina) into the mix and as a threat, Destiny is certainly a brilliant choice to play around with here.

The final quarter of the movie once Destiny is revealed and the city becomes a playground for chaos certainly sees the gang stepping up to save the day. In the end, it's the wily double act of both Constantine and Deadman that see Destiny taken out before the final blow is struck by Jason Blood/Etrigan the Demon (Ray Chase) as the character makes something of a heroic sacrifice and gets closure to his centuries long curse.

This movie certainly has a lot of fun with it's characters. The villains in both Faust and Destiny are wonderfully utilised and there's something rather tragic as Ritchie's actions come back to haunt him in the worst way possible. By the end of this movie, Constantine definitely has another soul on his conscience there.

As for Constantine, I definitely felt the movie played to Matt Ryan's strengths pretty well. He was still the wise cracking, deceptive magical con man we know and love and the back and forth he had with every character was brilliant. I especially loved his rapport with Zatanna, Batman, Jason and Swamp Thing, even if the latter only barely featured. I'm hoping another movie with this crew does flesh out some more of the remaining members, including Black Orchid.

- I'm not sure the movie needed the appearances from Superman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman and the John Stewart Green Lantern as none of them really did anything to be honest. I also loved the flashbacks for both Jason and Deadman in this movie for their backstories.
- Batman offered both Zatanna and Constantine a place in the Justice League. Zatanna seemed to be considering it but I'm not sure Constantine will though.
- Constantine will be coming back in animated form for the CW later in the year.
- No smoking for John but he was definitely more powerful than he was in the NBC series he led back in 2014-2015.

Justice League Dark is another strong movie in the DC animated universe. I am hoping though if there's a sequel or continuation, we either focus on the JLD by themselves or merge the group with the big League itself. Other than that, this is a must see movie.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Laurel (at the memorial): "It’s not your tragedy, it is Wes's and he deserves better than this funeral with you phony ass people. Go cry somewhere else."

Well, this was a bit of a step in the right direction. The disastrous memorial to one side where Laurel took a chomp out of the rest of the students attending and had Michaela mothering her, two things of big note surrounding Wes happened here. Actually make that three.

First of all, flashback wise we had Bonnie warning Frank not to hurt Wes, which to his credit he didn't. He just tried to follow Wes before inevitably losing him. The thing from that flashback was the fact that Wes phoned someone and referred to himself as Christophe. Now who the hell could know about him as that particular name?

Then there's the present day where his body also disappeared after Nate and Laurel went to look at him. If there wasn't the feeling that Annalise was being framed for his death beforehand, there certainly is now following this reveal. Of course, there's the end scene where it seemed that Nate signed off on Wes's body being removed.

Keeping with the last moment, both Nate and Wes were in Annalise at the same time, prior to the latter's death and the fire? While this episode completely ruled out Frank, it did now tease the idea of Nate being a suspect. I don't think it's Nate. In fact, three episodes to the finale, it's genuinely hard to figure out who could've killed Wes and whether or not his death was deliberate or accidental.

Meanwhile Annalise's current prison stint (for now) came to an end when she decided to use her own means in order to secure her own bail. Probably a good thing as Bonnie was repeatedly dropping the ball on this one but if it means seeing less of one particular cellmate, it's almost a pity to lose that environment as well.

Of course the episode also had the added sting of Annalise's parents coming back and for Ophelia to now suffer with dementia. Some beautifully touching scenes between Annalise and her mother in this one and some equally harsh ones with Annalise and her father, even if the latter's harsh words gave Annalise a bit more of a fighting spirit.

As for the rest of the episode, well, there was Connor realising that Oliver is quite the accomplished liar. Even I found the moment where Oliver was laughing a bit off. Someone was channeling their inner Joker in that scene but the fact that Oliver also kept the contents of Annalise's phone didn't shock me though. As for Bonnie and Frank, their scenes in next week's episode should be interesting.

- For a moment I thought we were going to see a decent side to Simon until he opened his mouth to blame Annalise for Wes's death.
- I liked that Oliver owned up to the fact that he chose to get involved with the gang but again that laughing moment made me wonder about him.
- The inmate that replaced Annalise was hilarious. Beyonce she's not though.
- Chronology: Not long from where Not Everything's About Annalise left off.

A solid episode. Go Cry Somewhere Else pushed things a little further with the mystery surrounding Wes's death (if Atwood isn't involved somehow, I'll be surprised). The scenes with Annalise and her parents though were a personal highlight along with Connor suddenly seeing Oliver from a new perspective.

Thursday, February 09, 2017

Last week it was announced that Peter Capaldi would be stepping down from the role of the Doctor Who along with Steven Moffat during this year's Christmas special, so the speculation for his successor has been afoot for the last week.

I've decided to do my own list in that regard and compared to other lists that have surfaced over the last week, this is one with a round up of more realistic candidates, based on talent, age range (though I do think it'll be a 30 something bloke, I have a few older suggestions), possible availability and familiarity with viewers. So without further ado, here goes.

1: Adrian Lester

Familiar For: Mainly for Hustle for BBC1 viewers. Also recently seen in London Spy.Whoverse Connection: None so far.

2: Alfred Enoch

Familiar For: His roles as Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter movie universe and recently Wes Gibbons in ABC drama series, How To Get Away With Murder. Also some guest appearances on Sherlock and Broadchurch.Whoverse Connection: Alfred's father, William Russell played First Doctor companion, Ian Chesterton.

3: Ben Daniels

Familiar For: Roles in Cutting It, Law & Order UK and US productions such as House Of Cards and The Exorcist.Whoverse Connection: Worked with both Chris Chibnall and Freema Agyeman on Law & Order: UK.4: Bertie Carvel

Familiar For: His most recent role as a cheating spouse Simon Foster in Doctor Foster. Has also appeared in Les Miserables, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Babylon to name a few things.Whoverse Connection: He had a bit part in the episode, The Lazarus Experiment.

5: Cyril Nri

Familiar For: Playing Superintendent Adam Okaro in ITV series The Bill as well as Lance in Cucumber for Channel 4.Whoverse Connection: Appeared in two stories of The Sarah Jane Adventures as the mysterious Shopkeeper as well as a recent appearance on Class as the equally mysterious Chairperson.

6: Damien Molony

Familiar For: Hal Yorke in the final two series of Being Human. Also roles in Ripper Street, Suspects and Crashing in recent years.Whoverse Connection: None so far.

7: Emun Elliott

Familiar For: Roles in BBC1's The Paradise as well as Lip Service and Threesome.Whoverse Connection: None so far.

8: James D'Arcy

Familiar For: Recently for playing butler Jarvis in the shortlived ABC series, Agent Carter and as killer Lee in the second series of Broadchurch.Whoverse Connection: Working with Chibnall on Broadchurch really.

9: Kayvan Novak

Familiar For: Fonejacker but has also appeared in Spooks, Inside No 9, Skins and Paddington to name a few things.Whoverse Connection: Voiced Handles in The Time Of The Doctor.

10: Kris Marshall

Familiar For: Roles in both My Family and Death In Paradise. Also appeared in Love Actually.Whoverse Connection: None so far.

11: Paapa Essiedu

Familiar For: Stage productions mainly but has appeared on the small screen in both Utopia and Not Safe For Work.Whoverse Connection: Appeared in BBC1's and Russell T Davies's adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which also featured Matt Lucas and Bernard Cribbins.

12: Sacha Dhawan

Familiar For: Various TV roles, including parts in In The Club, Sherlock, Being Human and Mr Selfridge.Whoverse Connection: Played Waris Hussein in An Adventure In Space And Time and has also done some work for Big Finish recently.

13: Tom Riley

Familiar For: Playing Leonardo DaVinci in DaVinci's Demons as well as Claude in The Collection for Amazon.Whoverse Connection: Played Robin Hood in Robot Of Sherwood.

I'm not saying it will be any one of these thirteen actors who will end up succeeding Peter Capaldi in the role but an actor of that sort of calibre and someone who is likely to commit to three full series for Chris Chibnall will definitely be who the BBC will want. Right now, I can't see the show bagging a British actor with a burgeoning Hollywood career or even a female Doctor (despite the tabloid fixation on the latter at the moment) but then again, I could be wrong. Time will tell as it always does.

Wednesday, February 08, 2017

And we're about two months too late from a festive offering but if Arrow and The Flash can give us such Christmas goodies, then so should Legends Of Tomorrow and this episode was certainly a big treat to behold.

It's Christmas Eve and Rip is about to murder George Washington at the behest of some brainwashing courtesy of Eobard. Except, he really isn't going to do that. It's more of an elaborate trap to smoke out the Legends (something which they're aware of) but they're still determined to stop the Legion nonetheless.

Of course by the time they land in 1776 to rescue George Washington from being assassinated, Sara and the gang soon realise that Rip isn't on their side when he gleefully shoots her and hands over Mick and George to an enemy of the latter. Can I just say that Arthur Darvill really knows how to play the baddie so well? If I were Eobard, I'd be a little nervous here.

Considering that Eobard was barely able to get both Malcolm and Damien on side, evil Rip might turn out to be a bigger problem for him in the long run. Here though, Rip used a group of soldiers to help break into the Waverider and during some tense scenes with Jax, also managed to get the other part of the Spear of Destiny as well. This week was definitely a victory for the villains of the piece again. Even Sara got her neck snapped before Gideon came to her rescue.

Speaking of Sara, she might have been bested by Rip and nearly dead again but this episode certainly gave her some lovely moments. I love that when she was down, it was Jax whom she made into the Captain and I also loved the scene they had after Rip managed to get away from them. As for the Christmas dinner scene, it might be two months too late but it was one of the best moments we had with the gang this season.

Other noteworthy moments in this episode were Mick's scenes with George Washington. Pairing those two characters together was a stroke of genius as the two of them played off each other brilliantly. Mick even managed to get himself a little historical honour as well within the episode, which was another priceless moments.

Of course if there's something a little negative about the episode, then it's probably the sudden pairing of Nate and Amaya. In some ways I can see why the writers are going there as they are the newbies and they got some moments to connect this week but the sex scene with them felt incredibly rushed and there's a concern that it's going to end up becoming Ray/Kendra 2.0 as well. Mostly I felt meh with their scenes in this one.

- Tiny Ray getting chased through the airs ducts by a rat - The Talons Of Weing Chiang, anyone? I did laugh at Ray giving the rat to Mick as a Christmas present later though.
- Mick's opening narration was absolutely hysterical. Who writes this crap? Nate also got a great line about Hitler ruining everything when he wasn't explaining Tinder to Amaya.
- Both Malcolm and Damien sat this episode out while Eobard just got one scene this week.
- Chronology: 1776 New Jersey again.

Turncoat certainly lived up to it's title with Rip taking something of a dark turn. Arthur Darvill really can sell being a baddie so well that I almost want Rip to remain evil until the finale. Add the Christmas background, some of the funniest dialogue and this was a truly a brilliant and bonkers episode.

Tuesday, February 07, 2017

Only when it is about Annalise. Like this episode trying it's best to get her out of custody, only for things to escalate so much worse here. Bonnie came up with an almost good plan to secure Annalise's release, only to be met with another set back. Granted, it was a set back that I think we all saw coming though.

Frank turning himself in for Wes's death automatically rules him out as Wes's killer. He might have had the motives (Annalise and Laurel being two big motivators here) but it's clear that while Frank would be capable of killing Wes and not feeling too bad about things, it's clearly not him. However this episode did end on the possibility of another suspect - Bonnie.

Like Frank, Bonnie has the form to kill and her devotion to Annalise can be rather extreme at times. It's not within the realms of impossible that Bonnie might have feared Wes betraying Annalise and decided to take action and she's been more focused on getting Annalise out of prison than trying to find out who killed Wes to begin with.

Whether or not it will be Bonnie, I guess other episodes will have yet to confirm for us but right now, she looks somewhat a likely candidate to be honest. Speaking of Wes, the flashbacks with Frank aside, I did like that Michaela brought up to Hargrove about having a memorial service for the guy when her, Connor and Asher were being interviewed. I also liked that Hargrove went to visit Annalise in prison even if nothing too helpful came out of it for either of them.

As for Annalise, the struggle of prison life was setting in this one for her. The reality that her team might not get her out resulted in her cutting her weave along with the hostility she was facing from some of her fellow inmates as well. I do like that she does have something of a tiny support system in there (especially with Rose from Lost in her corner). That said, I am hoping they do manage to get Annalise out of the slammer before the finale though.

As for the rest of the gang, we saw some tender moments with Michaela/Asher and Connor/Oliver, which was nice along with the gang comforting Laurel as well. I also liked the scenes with Michaela and Oliver where the former was attempting damage control and there was a particular tense moment with Laurel and Meggy that worked rather well too.

- We saw the gang watching The Golden Girls in this episode. I loved that little moment.
- What is Atwood's problem with Annalise? You get the impression that she's aware Annalise is innocent but she seems determined to have Annalise incarcerated nonetheless.
- There was a lot of continuity porn in this one with Sam, Lila, Rebecca, Sinclair, the siblings from last season and so on getting referenced in this episode.

A strong episode. Not Everything's About Annalise didn't further too much, other than presenting us with a possible suspect for Wes's killer (or maybe not) but again there was some truly beautiful character moments and next week also boasts a rather welcome return to boot.

Thursday, February 02, 2017

And now we've got something a little different on our hands. Did anyone want an episode where the focus was more on the villains than the heroes? Even if you didn't that's exactly what this episode served up and as a result, a lot of fun was had on screen.

Adding Malcolm Merlyn into this show when he had long since worn out his welcome on Arrow has turned out to be a stroke of genius so far. His presence on this show and grudging team up has breathed new life into the character and seeing both him and Damien bicker and question Eobard's authority was a highlight along with their own plans for Rip/Phil.

This might not have been Rip's episode. He spent most of it being tied up and intimidated by the Legion of Doom while later regaining his memories and being sent to assassinate George Washington as part of this week's cliffhanger. I did however love the whole bank scene moments with Damien and Malcolm nearly succeeding until things went spectacularly to pot.

Of course, the two of them did get an advantage when Eobard was forced to admit that he was also fleeing from a zombie speedster (Black Flash) intent on killing them. By the end of the episode, the playing field between the three had become more even and it even seemed like a grudging respect was developing between the lot of them.

Having an episode that mostly focused on the villain point of view was an interesting move and it really did pay off here. Is it a little weird that I even felt a tiny bit sorry for Malcolm, Damien and Eobard? And that's taking into the fact that they were being horrible to Rip this week?

As for the heroes themselves, well on the plus side while they didn't get Rip back, they did at least manage to finally deduce that their mysterious speedster was Eobard. Granted, it was Stein who figured out in the end but this along with Rip in killer mode and things are certainly pushing along nicely for the gang.

The other highlight of the episode was also getting to see Lily in the Waverider. I know she's only had a handful of appearances so far but I really do like the character and I also liked that the aberration issue was dealt with rather quickly as well.

- We got some flashbacks to Eddie's suicide/sacrifice in this episode. The character will be appearing again in The Flash fairly soon.
- I thought we were meant to see Snart become a member of the Legion of Doom. Has the idea been scrapped or do we have to wait a bit longer?
- Having Damien narrate the start of this episode was a nice move. Worked well with the tone they were setting too.
- Chronology: 2025 Zurich, 2017 Central City and 1776 New Jersey.

The Legion Of Doom was an episode for the villains and it was the most fun we've seen with all three of them. The decision to team up these guys has worked brilliantly and having them go from bickering to banding together properly should make things interesting for the remaining episodes.

Wednesday, February 01, 2017

Jerome: "What do you say, Bruce, wanna have some fun before the main event?"

And the main event itself was something that felt extremely Tim Burton. Granted this isn't a new feeling as Gotham does like to stir up feelings from that particular director's movies and yet again, it worked a treat too.

Having Jerome go after Bruce was set up in the previous episode due to his interaction with Leslie (who then grudgingly told Gordon what he was up to) and this episode delivered on that with Bruce managing to convince Jerome to give him a public death. I liked that Jerome was savvy enough to realise Bruce was buying himself more time, even if he couldn't resist putting on a bigger show though.

The scenes with Jerome and Bruce at the most chaotic circus Gotham has had worked extremely well. It was fantastic to see Jerome in his killer element but the main meat of the episode came when Bruce was able to escape being blasted by a cannon and a battle between the future Dark Knight and Clown Prince of Crime took place in a hall of mirrors.

In this moment alone, Bruce was able to vent his rage at Jerome but at the same time, he made the conscious choice not to kill him. Ultimately, Jerome made it out of this episode alive, even though he lost his face again (yuck!), which means we'll undoubtedly see him again next season. More to the point those steps Bruce keeps taking towards his destiny are still gripping to watch.

When Jerome wasn't sending the city into chaos with his Maniax Mark 2 gang, Oswald's days were truly numbered as Edward, Barbara, Tabitha and Butch all took it in turns to outsmart him, humiliate him and in Nygma's case, even kill him. Do I think Oswald is definitely dead? Of course not, but Edward certainly gave it a good try though.

While Oswald's actions are what brought his fate upon him, I still cannot help feel bad for him. Edward would've killed Isabella eventually and deep down, I do think he knows that. I'm not disappointed that he didn't reciprocate Oswald's affections though and while I liked the darker side we saw to him this week, Nygma would be better cutting his losses as Barbara, Tabitha and Butch no longer have any use for him.

Keeping with the villainous stuff, this episode also brought back the Court of Owls with head lady Katherine going on about her mission to Bruce's clone. The episode also revealed that Gordon's uncle Frank (played by Dexter's James Remar) is also a member and now it looks like Jim himself is about to get roped in with this lot whether he likes it or not.

- That glass Owl that Bruce and Selina stole was smashed to bits by Jerome. I don't see the Court of Owls being pleased with that one.
- Nygma was literally wearing a green suit in this episode. We got a better shot of it in the trailer for the next episode.
- No Selina, Ivy or Lucius in this episode.
- The show will be back from April 24th (after 24: Legacy finishes up) for it's remaining eight episodes.

The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies served as a strong winter finale for the show. The Bruce and Jerome scenes were the clear highlight along with Oswald's downfall and setting up both the Riddler and more stuff with the Court of Owls should provide enough material for the remainder of this season.

About Me

My name is Shawn Lunn and when I don't blog regularly on TV, I write a serious amount of reviews for a variety of different TV programmes as well as comics, books and DVDs pertaining to them (which can be found on my TV Tome and Shawnlunn2002 TVHITS Yahoo Group, also linked here) as well as on this blog. I'm a huge fan of all innovative and smart television.